The WGA on Wednesday provided details of its deal with ICM Partners on a new franchise agreement, a pact pretty much in line with one the guild inked last month with UTA.
The deal that will also allow ICM to again represent WGA members for covered writing services also satisfies a clause that will end TV packaging by all franchised agencies by June 30, 2022.
In a letter to its members, the WGA Agency Negotiating Committee said today that “the agreement protects writers in three fundamental areas emphasized since the beginning of the campaign,” including stipulations to provide contract, deal memo and invoice information to the guild, a practice it has been touting recently. Like past deals, today’s agreement also places limits on agency ownership of production entities to no more than 20% of a controlling stake.
Read the redline version of the WGA-ICM agreement here.
WGA Claims Deals With Agencies Are A Win For Members With Streamlined Invoice System
Officially signed late this morning by WGA West Executive Director David Young and ICM co-president Kevin Crotty (though it says Chris Silbermann on the document), the franchise agreement’s most material difference from the UTA deal has to do with independent films. Usually the Guild has to sign off on features with budgets of more than $50 million that involve its members. However, under the ICM agreement of today, that budget ceiling will inch up 5% every three years starting at the beginning of 2024 – which is essentially an adjustment for inflation.
Otherwise, with minor tweaks here and there, the deal also formally enshrines that it is not ICM Partners’ responsibility to provide the WGA with client’s paperwork from past agencies. “Agent shall not be required to provide the Guild a copy of the agreement or a summary of essential deal terms if such deal was made prior to Agent’s representation of Writer and Agent is not in possession or control of such agreement or summary of essential deal terms,” today’s pact states.
Lastly, by its very existence, the ICM deal sees the erasure of the clause ensuring an extension of packaging that the UTA agreement contain. That sunset period for the practice of TV packaging ending in June 2020 had been contingent on two of the so-called “Big 4” agencies — CAA, WME, UTA and ICM — reaching agreements with the WGA – which has now clear occurred.
ICM Partners was never a part of the federal lawsuit between the uber-agencies and the WGA that has been the crux of the agency-union showdown for months. UTA dropped out of the legal action last month as part of its agreement with the WGA.
The legal battle with WME and CAA continues.